Troy Built

ALABAMA -- The Troy-Built Bronco riding mower/lawn tractor which I purchased last fall at Lowe's has what I believe to be basic design flaws.

This $1300 mower requires an optional mulching kit in order to mulch, rather that bag, the grass. The kit is difficult to install and does not work as expected. Instead of being mulched and disappearing into the lawn, the grass is laid in a narrow row at the center of the cutting deck. A second pass or hand raking is necessary to disperse the grass.

The mower digs into the lawn when I turn or when I cut on a slope. Leveling the deck and adjusting the two cutting deck wheels has not corrected the problem.

The lever that engages/disengages the cutting blades is located at knee height for a 6' man sitting on the mower. When disengaging the blades, the strong spring action forces the lever into your kneecap with significant speed and force. The blow is strong enough to bruise or even injure the kneecap.

About 6-weeks after the purchase, I contacted Troy-Built via email. I explained the problem of the blades digging into the lawn when I turned the mower and asked for advice on correcting the problem and also asked if warranty would cover taking it to an authorized repair dealer to be checked out.

The reply was " First check the conation of the working parts . . ." Then if all parts were working properly, they suggested buying two optional "anti-scalping wheels" for installation on the cutting deck. Regarding the warranty, I was told that it would cover any parts that had to be replaced, but not any adjustments that were necessary to correct the problem.

I question the fact that I have to spend additional dollars for optional equipment to mulch or to keep the mower from scalping the yard. I feel that a brand-name mower in this price range should be engineered to do these things out of the box.

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Pony Troy Built Mower/Warranty

By foolishbuyer - 04/01/2009

ROCKMART, GEORGIA -- My son purchased a pony Troy Built 42" mower for me last year from Lowes. He also bought me the warranty for this mower. I have tried six times since last May to have the warranty people fix my mower belt and pulley which fell off on the fourth mowing. Ate the belt and lost the nut and washer. to date and after having called the Manager at Lowes Store in Cartersville, Ga. I still have not gotten my mower fixed. It costs me 325.00 last mowing season to have my yard taken care of. I have a heart condition and am unable to push mow my yard. I am 62 years old and the purpose of my son getting this mower for me was to save my health. All Lowes seems to have an interest in is the money up front and no service and the warranty service company that handles the Troy Built products for Lowes doesn't care either.

So what should I do about the loss of money and the fact my mower still isn't working? Brand new without 15 hours on it.

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Poor Product

By DKR1972 - 06/25/2008

MADISON HEIGHTS, MICHIGAN -- I purchased a lawnmower last fall from Lowes. It was the brand Troy Built. I used it 6 times and then it died. I call the 1-800 # on the sticker that was on the lawnmower and was directed to a service center. When I saw how many lawnmowers, especially "Troy Built" I was concerned. Luckily, the repairman was honest and told me the lawnmower wasn't worth fixing. Apparently, the crank shaft was bent and possibly a blown motor. I believe the product is poor quality because I have owned other lawn mowers that have lasted 5 to 10 years cutting the same lawn and all of a sudden this one only last 6 up to uses. When I called Troy Built about the Warranty the first thing the recording states is that if the crank shift is bent or broken the warranty is void. It's as if they know ahead of time this will be a major problem.

I do not know a lot about lawn mower just my previous personal experience. I guess in this case the phase "They don't make things the way they used to" really fits. No more Troy Built lawn mowers for me!